David Groves has been named the head men’s soccer coach at Lyon College, according to Kevin Jenkins, director of athletics at Lyon. Groves has coached at various levels including collegiate, high school and club.
Groves comes to Lyon after serving as the head men’s soccer coach at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colo. While at Northeastern, he took the team to a Region IX championship game and was named the Region IX coach of the year after leading the Plainsmen to a 13-8 overall record. In 2015, he took a winless program and led Northeastern Junior College to a 9-6-3 record, which was named the most improved team in NJCAA men’s soccer.
“When I took over at Northeastern the record was 10-54-1,” Groves said. “It’s a big turnaround. I plan to build on the rich tradition of the program and add some things I feel like I’ve been successful with here and hope to bring those things to Lyon College.”
Groves earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance with a minor in Economics and General Business from Western Michigan University in 2009. He then earned a Master of Arts in Education from Western Michigan in 2015.
Groves said he is excited for the opportunity that the men’s soccer program at Lyon presents.
“The players are very high character kids and I want to continue to bring those kids in that are successful in the classroom and on the field,” Groves said. “I was really impressed with the prestige of the college and from a facility standpoint they have everything there that is top notch.”
Prior to Northeastern Junior College, Groves was an assistant coach at Western Michigan where he participated in the recruitment process and handled game preparation. Groves also served as a clinician at Michigan State, University of Michigan, University of Detroit and Western Michigan prospect camps.
Groves has also coached for the Kingdom Soccer Club in Portage, Mich. as well as Plainwell High School in Plainwell, Mich. and Kalamazoo Central in Kalamazoo, Mich. At Plainwell, Groves led the program to a 39-17-5 record, a conference championship and a district championship. At Kalamazoo Central, Groves led the team to the conference playoffs in 2011 and 2012 before finishing runner-up in the league and conference championship in 2013.
Lyon Director of Athletics Kevin Jenkins said he’s looking forward to what Groves brings to the program.
“I am very excited to announce that Mr. David Groves will be our next men’s head soccer coach,” Jenkins said. “He has a great soccer knowledge and is a great fit for Lyon College. David knows what it takes to be a success in the classroom and on the pitch. We are looking forward to see what lies ahead for our men’s soccer team under his leadership.”
David Groves / Image via Lyon College
